


Showers (of Love)

by Amari, skree



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, Masturbation, Really long for me, Shower Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-19
Updated: 2013-11-19
Packaged: 2018-01-02 01:14:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1050776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amari/pseuds/Amari, https://archiveofourown.org/users/skree/pseuds/skree
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ray decided that taking a Shower at 2am was the best time to take a shower.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Showers (of Love)

**Author's Note:**

> A huge shout-out to Skree for writing the smut part for me because I am incapable of writing such stuff myself. Many thanks to them because this fic would not be the same without their help. Please enjoy the fic.

From a year’s worth of experience, Ray found out that the best time to take a shower on a non-coed dorm hall floor was 2 am. Around 2 was when most of the people on the 'alcohol-free' floor had passed out, either from studying or playing games. Ray usually was part of that latter.

And so most of his showers were done in peace. His stall was the middle stall because it felt like it had the most room. The other two had posts in them that took up a tiny corner, but it still meant less room in his mind so no go.

The only sound in the stall was water rushing down from the nozzle, and his occasional footstep. But then he heard the door to the bathroom open with an elongated squeak. He assumed it was someone that needed to take a piss, but he heard the sound of flip-flops and knew that he was going to have some company.

The stranger parked himself in the stall to Ray's right. Ray wanted to grumble, seeing as he wanted to be alone, and was about halfway finished, but he didn't want to let the stranger know. Why he cared, he didn't know, but it mattered.

He just wanted to be left alone.

So when the fucker next to him started talking to him, despite his overly-cheery greeting, ("Hey! Looks like you like late showers too! How's it going?") he wanted to punch the stall divider down on top of the other.

Instead, he just bit back the venom on his lips and played nice.

"Yeah, far more peaceful than trying to get one during the day." Ray said with emphasis on peaceful.

There was a light chuckle on the other side of the divider, "I bet. Actually, this is the only chance I get to take one."

Ray all of a sudden felt pity for the man beside him, "Busy?"

"Very." Ray could almost hear him nod. "I'm double majoring in theatre and Web Design, the web design being a fall back plan when I become a starving actor. When I'm not coding, I'm practicing. I don't know if I sleep anymore."

"Jesus christ." Ray responded, "That sounds like hell. Why do you do it then?"

"Because I love both things, and when you find something you are passionate about, you end up sacrificing yourself for it." There was a sad tone in the stranger's voice.

God, Ray didn't have a fucking clue what he was doing in college, finding a little fun in technology, but nothing he was dedicated to. He didn't really understand the passion that the other spoke of, but he was almost jealous for not having this love for something to give everything you possibly could.

"I can't even imagine. I don't know what the hell I'm doing, and I've been here for a year already." Ray said to the other. "Oh, my name is Ray, by the way."

"Joel." The other man answered, "Nice to speak to you Ray."

While Ray finished scrubbing the last of the shampoo, the two of them had a very casual chat about various things, goals, games, lives, families, just a short peek into the life of 'Joel.' When his body was clean, he wished Joel a good night and went off to his room, leaving Joel in the stall.

Maybe being pestered wasn't so bad.

\--

And it really wasn't, because Joel showed up again two days later at the same time. They had a laugh when they realized that they were showering 'together' again. They talked, quietly, but they talked, with the conversation mainly geared toward Joel. Ray found out that the boy was a senior, having been in school for six years now, and somehow still argued that Dorm life was cheaper than getting an apartment, and this should be his last year.

His last year to land a big role in the major musical the School was putting on.

Even though they barely knew each other, Ray truly wished him the best in getting his role.

And that feeling was truly genuine as he got to know Joel more over the next few times they met in the showers. Even though he never actually saw the older man's face, he found him to be really funny, and well, a good friend too. And he was happy to know that Joel thought he was a good friend as well.

So he knew something was wrong about a month later after they had started this little 'shower buddy' thing when Joel was really quiet.

"Joel... you okay?" Ray asked suddenly after spending about five minutes chattering happily about his day and receiving only grunts in response.

"Yeah... yeah. I'm fine. I just... I didn't get the role." Joel answered quietly.

Ray felt his heart sink in his chest, "Shit... I know how important that was for you... are you okay? I mean, for real, are you okay?"

Joel choked a little, "I just-- I just---"

"You think, after all these years of doing this... that the rejection... would get easier." Joel said through held back sobs. The struggle to hold back in Joel's voice made Ray's heart break, even if he didn't quite understand the situation.

The water in the stall next to Ray turned off and he could hear a slump on the grey wall, as wet skin slid down it. A solid plop sounded on the floor as Joel's body finally landed on the ground, a freakishly pale behind visible from the open space between stalls. Joel's hand had crept behind his body, and his fingers were now on Ray's side of the stall. Bony fingers, looking lost, and lonely. Empty, and reaching out for something.

Ray never knew what possessed him, but he turned his water off as well, and slid down the stall to join the other on the wet floor. Probably not the most sanitary thing he’s done, but that didn’t matter at this moment. Joel mattered. Ray inched his hand back and intertwined it with Joel's by the joints. Joel's hand twitched in surprise, but relaxed into Ray's hand quickly.

And then Joel let go. He didn’t let go of Ray’s hand, no, he let go of his emotions.

He let out loud, sorrowful sobs, as he let out everything he had been holding in. The constant stresses from his major, the heartbreaks from constant critiques and criticism. He released it all, and held onto Ray's hand through it all.

Ray said nothing, he didn't have to.

Those fingers that held Joel's were the only things that were keeping this man together. Words couldn't help at all. Words can't always heal the wounds other words cause. Words can't always heal the scars created from having your dreams smashed in front of you. Words of comfort don't change the fact that you didn't reach the one point you've been trying your damnedest to get to.

The hours lost practicing,

The hours lost in class,

The dreams had since childhood....

Words can't fix that.

Nothing really can.

So Ray just held on silently to those fingers that were now intertwined with his clinging on for dear life as the senior let out all of his miseries. Ray didn't even question himself as to why he was doing this for a person whose face he'd never seen before, he just felt he had to. If he wasn't the one keeping this person together, no one was going to be able to.

Eventually, the sorrowful sobs dwindled down to just a few stuffy sniffles. The raging dam of emotions having reached equilibrium and a calmer state came over Joel.

Ray could hear Joel wipe his nose before he spoke, "Ugh... Sorry about that, man. It just..."

"It's okay; you don't need to explain it." Ray consoled with one more squeeze of his fingers.

"Thank you, Ray." Joel said returning the squeeze and then letting go.

Ray was caught a little off guard by the feeling in his fingers, the tingle that was left behind when Joel had let go. Something in the very back of his head mourned the loss of the gentle touch, but he waved it off as a normal human thing. People like contact, and that's all that was.

He heard Joel rustle around and pick up his things. "You done, Joel?" Ray asked.

The clinking of the hooks on the shower curtain gave Ray his answer before Joel even responded with a weak sounding 'yeah'.

"Alright man, take care, okay?" Ray told the older as he heard his feet plat against the tiled floor.

"You too." Joel's voice echoed in response before the bathroom door opened and closed leaving Ray in his stall.

Right then was his chance to pick up his things and run out of the bathroom to finally see Joel's face. Or at least maybe the back of his head. Something. Something to satiate his curiosity about his 'Shower mate’ because it was driving him nuts that he hadn't seen Joel's face yet. Instead, he reached over to the white knob and turned on the shower again. He still had some shampoo left in his hair anyway.

\--

Over the next few 'shower times' Ray never brought up the fact that they had held hands, despite how much he wanted to address it. Something had happened that night, something Ray didn't want to ignore, but he also didn't want to be wrong.

He also wanted to see Joel's goddamn face.

The last two times the older man took quick showers and bolted before Ray had finished with his body scrub. When asked about why he was taking such quick showers, Joel answered with that he needed more sleep, and that would help him get better parts. He had to be optimistic.

"Are you sure you are a senior, Joel?" Ray asked with a smile on his lips.

A laugh echoed in the small area, "As sure as my student debt and shit ton of credits, yeah."

The water on Joel’s side stopped. Dammit, Ray still wasn’t done yet.

“Alright,” Joel said as rustling was heard on his side, “Talk to you next time. I’m trying out for a local thing that’s not associated with the school, I might get into something.”

“Good luck man, I hope you make it big.” Ray said, and Joel thanked him as he left for the evening.

Ray still hadn’t seen his face yet.

And for a while, he gave up trying. He thought of it like having an internet friend. You talk to them constantly, but never actually find out what their face looks like, and that’s okay. You still trust them anyway. So he just trusts Joel, because what else can he really do?

\--

Two weeks later, Ray had found out that Joel had gotten the lead part in the local play, so he now had two different musicals he’s working on at once. Since he was just a chorus part in one, he didn’t have to worry much. Ray was ecstatic to hear this from his ‘shower mate.’

But now, Ray was left to himself for a night. His roommate returned home for the weekend, so of course, using that private time, he looked up some good old-fashioned porn.

He had his fill of various men and women enjoying themselves for a camera until the problem in his pants became too much for him to bear. He looked over to the clock—1:30am. He still had at least half an hour before Joel would possibly show up.

Ray stripped himself, wrapped himself around in his towel (a fold cleverly hiding his issue), donned his shitty flip flops, and head toward his coveted middle shower stall. The towel pooled around his feet before picking it up and hanging it on the small metal hook.

He let out a small hiss as he turned on the water. He was already incredibly hard, and he spent no time dilly-dallying and just went for it. A hand wrapped around the base, a quick squeeze, and started slowly. Skin dragged up and down under his slim fingers, pleasure shot up his body as he held back another hiss. His hand quickened as the images he had seen replayed in is mind, the moans, the groans, the sounds made from those people in the videos fueling his pleasure as he kept going.

The water beating down on him from the shower head just felt hotter and hotter as he kept going, he loved it, he loved the feeling of his hand, the images….

Joel’s hand, how it felt.

Wait stop. Tires screeched to a halt in his head while his hand kept moving.

Joel.

He was thinking about Joel.

He didn’t even know what his face looked like, but he knew what his hand felt like. The slim fingers, bony, yet muscled, smooth yet calloused. Joel has always worked hard at everything he’s done, and that was all communicated that day they held hands. So Ray can only imagine now, that Joel would be working just has hard to make sure Ray felt every ounce of pleasure he could possibly muster. He’d tease the tip of Ray’s cock with his finger, running it just over the slit as pre-cum just dribbled out. Joel would pull happily, enjoying the noises and faces Ray would make as continued his administrations.

God he really shouldn’t be thinking about Joel like this….

But damn, his voice did something mean to Ray’s body.

Joel….

“Joel.” He found himself moaning out loud.

In a panic, he slammed a free hand on his mouth, trying to muffle any more sounds that threatened to come out of the sophomore. His hand just kept going and going, up and down, up and down.

It’s impossible for Ray to hold back now, as he’s practically biting into his hand to hold back his noises, holding back the screams as his mind plays out scenarios between him and Joel that will never happen. He bucked into his hands, hips jerking, pre-cum spilling as he continued. He was pretty much lost now.

He’s about to finish, the edge just in reach when he hears the bathroom door open.

He stops. Everything stops but his heart that is slamming against his chest, as if it wants to break free and run.

His dick screamed at him, wanting that last bit of attention that it needed. Just two more jerks and he would have hurdled over, but he can’t.

Not with those footsteps in the bathroom. He knows those heavy steps. They were Joel’s. If he came right then, he’d be screaming Joel’s name into those white walls. There would be no turning back. So he doesn’t. He holds still, squeezing himself so he doesn’t finish.

His mind damns him though, and in the very far back of his mind, he envisions something with those sounds of steps. The steps get louder and louder and the stop behind the curtain to his stall. With no hesitation they rip both sets of curtains aside, revealing Joel, despite not knowing what his face looks like. His face is beautiful, it has to be, and a wicked smile is on it, a devil’s grin. It hungers for Ray, and Ray hungers for him, for his touch.

The fantasy stepped forward, grabbing Ray by the chin and kissing him roughly, the way Ray would want it. It swatted Ray’s hand way, taking matters into his own hand.

He imagines it all when in reality, Joel just stepped into the stall next to Ray’s, as he always does, but with a hum on his lips. Those beautiful lips, they have to be, to be able to hum such a wonderful song...

And Ray loses it, he lets go and makes one hell of a struggled sound as he comes, and despite the gurgled noise, Joel could have—should have heard his name come out on Ray’s lips.

His cheeks burned with embarrassment as he didn’t give himself any time to recover. He shut off the water in a flurry, barely covered himself in his towel, grabs his shit and bolts. He leaves behind a trail of water from his naked dripping body, but he didn’t care. He heard Joel call out his name curiously just as soon as he let out that damning noise. He nearly tore the bathroom door off its hinges in his hurried attempt to get out.

His bedroom door slammed behind him, and he slid down the pale wood door to the carpeted floor. Shame dripped from his body, just like the water.

What the hell had he done?

A shaky hand lifted from his side and locked the door before he pulled legs up to hug himself.

What the hell had he done?

A short life lesson: Trying to take a shower before your 8am class doesn’t happen when you reside in the dorms. No way. If you want to even try it, your best bet is getting it in before 5 am. Any later and the early morning joggers have returned from their run, glistened in sweat and man smell. If not the joggers, it’s the ROTC getting ready for their early morning exercises. By the time those two groups of people have finished showering, everyone else who happens to be normal is up and fighting for the kiss of clean water. If you are really desperate, stuffing your face into the toothpaste-encrusted sink is always an option.

Ray was definitely not that desperate, but after his ‘incident’ in the shower, those late-night showers next to Joel were no longer an option. He fucked himself over and was now on a leash of shame. It tied his time to shower to a small timeframe in the afternoon between classes, and it murdered his budding friendship.

It had only been three days since he last stood next to Joel late at night, but goddamn if he didn’t miss him. The dull ache that shuddered in his chest was proof of that fact. He felt weird admitting it to himself, but he really did have a connection with Joel. A connection he wanted to keep.  But he was caught, surely, and Joel most likely thought he was disgusting. Avoiding Joel was the best way to keep from finding out the ‘truth’ his mind was certain of.

He missed the late night showers themselves too. Having to rush getting clean between classes made no proper time to think his problems out. Not that talking to Joel meant that he got any thinking done, but it eased far more stress than this awful shower he was taking now. The water that ran down his body was anxious, just like him. Instead of cleaning his mind, it cluttered it with the fog of tangled thoughts.

It didn’t give him enough time to sit and think. Which is really what he needed right now. He needed to think because he needed to figure out what he wants. What does he want from Joel? What even was that, that fantasy that filled his mind that night? Did he want to touch Joel? Did he actually want to be fucked by Joel or something like that? Just… what was it?

Why would he be so affected by being told he was disgusting… by someone whose face he had never seen before?

That fog never lifted, as he continued to his class after his unsatisfactory shower. His mind was grey like the expanse of sky above him. Cloudy and cold. He shivered as he walked, shrugging his shoulders up in some fake attempt to warm himself up.

As he passed a pole, something caught his eye and he backed up to look at it. It was an advertisement promoting the local community theater’s production of “Company.” He’d never heard of it before but the STARRING JOEL HEYMAN AS BOBBY couldn’t have been clearer. The sign tugged at something inside his chest. The sign whispered something in his ear. It told him to go.

Joel had been talking non-stop about his role, and just remembering his excitement made Ray feel a little excited about the play as well. He remembered just hearing the smile in Joel’s voice as he spoke about the musical. Ray didn’t remember much about what it was about because he had just kinda sunk into the sound of Joel’s voice and not what he was saying.

He could actually see Joel if he went. The thought of it alone put a smile on his lips.

With the smile came a few more confusing questions: Should he go though? Is it fair for him to see Joel but for Joel to have no idea?

Why should he go?

Because he has this idea that somehow they are still friends after what he did? Well… that sounds like he committed a murder. It wasn’t that grave of sin to masturbate to the thought of your friend right?

Ray shook his head; he didn’t have the time to think about his feelings. He’d go, enjoy the musical, and then think about his problems later. At least, that was the plan.  The Musical opened on a Friday night, two nights from now.

\--

Ray found himself far more anxious under the water of his shower than ever before. Each drip counted down to the day he’d see Joel’s face. His probably beautiful face. He’d see those lips that let out that wonderful voice that held a hint of fine sandpaper, he’d hear him sing his heart out in the one place he truly belonged, he’d see Joel. Even though he’d be a character, he’d still be his entire self. That character would be Joel, and Joel would be that character. It would be incredible, Ray was sure.

Ray blinked, realizing he’d been lost in thought and probably late for his next class already. He brushed his fingers across his upturned lips. A smile that had found its way there after thinking about Joel. He slumped forward, leaning against the wall. The white tiles felt cool against his burning forehead.

A hollow laugh  escaped his mouth, “Yeah, I have it bad, don’t I?” The walls echoed his voice in answer.

Funny how easily Ray was able to accept his own feelings when he was given the proper time to think about it.

It’s a strange feeling being attracted to someone whose face you’ve never seen before. A part of your heart wonders if you love them, or the part of them they’ve let you see. You like to think that you love them, because a physical body doesn’t get in the way, but there’s so much more. Attraction embodies the entirety of a person, doesn’t it? You love just not the inside, but the outside as well. Without that, you can’t judge lies through their face, and you can’t get lost in their lovely eyes. It’s a feeling of wholeness, and at the same time, it’s incomplete. It’s hard to think about and understand.

And speaking of thinking, his mind ended up wandering places it probably shouldn’t have once again. His brain buzzed with images while blood rushed south. Swallowing hard, he gripped himself. He was already skipping class, he better make best use of his time, right?

It was ridiculously quick. The sound of Joel’s voice that had been burned into his mind twisted into dirty words and propelled him into coming in a matter of minutes. Luckily, he was able to keep his voice down this time, but he wasn’t able to fight the shame that crashed down him afterwards.

Despite acknowledging the fact that he liked Joel, turning him into a sex object didn’t sit well with him. It wasn’t right, using his feelings this way. He was supposed to be Joel’s friend, and he wasn’t even sure if Joel could ever stand being near him again. Doubts about going to the musical bubbled in his mind again, but he managed to shove them away.  No, he wanted to go to that musical, and hopefully nothing would stop him.

Ray finished his shower, turned the water off, grabbed his towel and left. Tomorrow was going to be an interesting day.

\--

Tonight.

Tonight would be the night he’d see Joel.

Fridays were also a day to relax. He didn’t have any classes, so he could take his shower and take a long one.  Of course, he was going to a musical, Ray had to dress nice, and smell nice too. So once again, he was under the warm water of the shower. It was comforting, the way the water ran down his body. It relaxed him, just as it always did. His mind was free wander, and travel it did to a destination called Joel.

He wondered if Joel could actually hate him. It was entirely possible that Joel didn’t realize that he heard Ray doing what he was doing… No. It’s hard to mistake the noises for much else, is there?

Ray let out a long sigh as his fingers scrubbed through his hair.

Still avoiding Joel like he had been may not be the best way to deal with anything. If there’s anything he’s learned from countless videogames he’s played, it’s that running away doesn’t solve most problems.  Most of the time it just makes it worse. So much worse.

So he’d start facing his problem, and seeing Joel would be a way to start. It’s a strange thing to think, but if he just sees Joel’s face, he could maybe judge Joel better.

His mind wandered back to tonight. Should he reveal himself to Joel after the musical? Wait, should he have flowers or something to give to Joel? They do that kind of thing, right? When actors give a performance or is that just friends and family? Ray’s a friend… right?

Shit…

Ray let out another long sigh. No. He wouldn’t get anything for Joel. He wouldn’t see Joel afterwards. Well, his plans could change, but what if he’s caught without a flower? Would it be awkward?

Ray groaned as his frustration grew. There was temptation to try and smash his head through the wall, but the wall would probably win that battle. A dead Ray is not a happy Ray.

Just like his situation with his feelings, he’d deal with the idea of seeing Joel later. After the performance.  Yes. That would be a good idea.

Ray leaned forward and turned off the water, and shook his head like a dog. It was kind of like a reset button, shaking out the cluttered thoughts, and starting with a clean slate. He forced a smile on his face, and hoped for the best for tonight. The show should be wonderful.

Seeing Joel should be wonderful.

\--

From what he knew, going to a musical meant dressing up just a bit better than normal street clothes. He didn’t remember ever buying a pair of black dress pants, but there they were, hanging nicely in his closet. He argued with the pair of shorts that were begging to be worn next to the pants, but in the end the pants won the fight. Feeling fabric past his knees was strange, heavy, like a child clinging to his legs.

Okay, maybe that’s a little exaggeration, but the point was made. Pants suck.

Also, white long-sleeved button-up shirts that magically appear in your closet also feel weird as well. He made a quick note in his head to call and thank his mom for the nice clothes. He tucked his shirt into his pants, threw a belt between the loops, and looked at himself in the mirror. The pants made his butt look nice, but the shirt alone looked a little off. Part of him wanted to roll up the sleeves, put on a loose red tie, pop the collar and look like ‘stylish’ or whatever.

While he was admiring himself, his roommate walked in, and stopped wide-eyed.

“Uh… who are you and what are you doing in my room?” The roommate asked, cautiously putting his bag down on the floor.

Ray cocked an eyebrow with a smile, “I am the spawn of tuxedo mask, Ray of the Roses.” To add to his statement, he struck a little pose.

His roommate shook his head with a smile, “Right, right. And what is ‘Ray of the Roses’ doing tonight that he’s shown up in such a form?”

Ray straightened out and rested his arm against the cold metal of the loft that held his bed, “Ah, just a musical, I have… a friend who is playing a lead role.”

That’s right. His friend. Yep. That’s all Joel was. His friend, hell, that’s even being generous with the term.

“And you are going looking like that?” His roommate asked, glancing up and down at his chosen attire. “You look like you are working for the catering service, do you at lease have a tie or something?”

“Woah, since when do you have a sense of fashion?” Ray smirked. “And no, I don’t.”

“Goddamn dude, shut up. Here.” His roommate said throwing a black tie at him. He also scrounged around his closet to pull out a red vest and a suit jacket. Even though Ray fussed, his roommate was having none of it, telling him that if he actually cared about his friend, he’d dress like it. At one point he even threatened to strangle Ray with the tie he loaned him if he wouldn’t quit squirming.

Looking at himself in the mirror once again, Ray figured that he looked fine. Great even. The jacket fit him perfectly, the tie straight but not strangling, the vest shining with life, it was the best he had ever looked in his life. He thanked his roommate before heading out to the location of the Musical.

It was at a high school located close to the campus, so it wasn’t that far of a walk. But damn, he hardly ever left his room as it was, so this was actually a fair amount of exercise.  The focus on actually getting there actually distracted him from having second thoughts. Although at this point, the thought count would be nearing the 100’s. A little winded, Ray finally reached the High school, a murmuring line of people already inside waiting to get their seats.

When he took his spot in the line, behind countless types of well-dressed people it hit him once again.

He was actually going to see Joel.  He was honestly going to see Joel.

He felt goose bumps crawl up his skin as he shivered. Ever step closer to the entrance of the auditorium made his nervousness grow. Thoughts scurried his head, telling him that he still could back out if he wanted. He still had the chance to walk out the doors. Ray sighed knowing that even though he had the chance, it wasn’t an option. No, he had already dressed up and made the effort to get here, leaving now would be a waste.

And he made it through the doors to be welcomed by dimly lit darkness of the auditorium. He passed rows and rows of maroon seats, most of them filled already by people that had arrived earlier.The quiet clammer of those already seated hung in the air as he shuffled his way to his designated seat. Left section, third row from the front, edge seat. Luckily for him he was the last to be seated in that row so he wouldn’t have to worry about people trying to crawl over him for the time being.

His fingers rapped nervously against the armrests. He should have come with someone, that way the slow painful minutes that counted down to show time wouldn’t have been so agonizing. That way he wouldn’t have felt so awkward sitting there in uncomfortable clothes, all by himself, looking weird as shit. His legs twitched, a silent attempt to make him bail and get out of the room. But he stayed seated, even if it took the rest of his dwindling willpower to do so.

The lights dimmed all the way suddenly, enveloping the audience in darkness except for the faint light of the pit band’s lights that lit up their music stands. The crowd immediately hushed as a voice boomed over the speakers, welcoming them for coming to tonight’s performance and asking that they please turn off all cellular and electronic devices to avoid distraction. Ray pulled out his phone and made sure that it was turned off.

Oddly enough, with the darkness came a calm that crept over his skin. It relaxed him into his seat as the seconds ticked down. Actually, he found himself wanting the spotlight to shine and for the show to begin. He’s here not to just see Joel, to immerse himself in a performance that people have worked their asses off to perfect.

The Pit Director raised his baton.

The show was just about to begin.

Now, Ray hadn’t actually done any research on the Musical he was about to see, but his from his musical experience (all of one he had seen in middle school) he knew that they typically started off in some happy cheery every-one-in-the-village-sings-before-the-main-characters arrive sort of manner. So he knew that he might have a little chance to enjoy the musical before seeing Joel.

This musical, however, didn’t start that way. Oooooh, no it didn’t. As soon as the curtain rose, the spotlight shone on one lone man in the middle of the stage. And from the small singing chanting of “Bobby,” that very man had to have been Joel.

Joel.

Dear god, it was actually Joel, right in the middle of the stage. Dressed in a wonderful fitting suit no less. Ray stopped breathing for a second. How could he breathe at a moment like this, to take in what Joel actually looked like, and god damn he looked hotter than Ray could have ever imagined.

His face, Ray could actually see his face. And a beautiful face it was. Slim, but with a strong-looking chin that had just the faintest traces of stubble peppered on it. He had pink lips pulled into a serious expression, and a narrow, yet adorable nose. His eyes were brown and sleepy, yet sparkled with a sense of life that Ray honestly envied just from looking at them. His hair was strewn in every direction, even though parts of it looked like the make-up crew tried to control the black beast that sat on top of his head. Ray chuckled as it reminded him of his own mornings of bed-head.

And when it seemed Joel couldn’t get any better, he opened his mouth and began to sing. Now, Ray had only previously heard him humming from time to time, but this was the first time he had heard Joel full-on singing. The way his voice rang through the room was like a chorus of angels had settled down. Ray then mentally slapped himself for thinking something so cliché. However, he couldn’t deny how mesmerized he was, even with the entire performance.

There were times when Ray wondered if there was a difference between the snarky character Bobby, and Joel himself, because they seemed nearly one and the same. Joel’s performance was wonderful, and so were all the other performers, making the musical something that Ray would probably never forget. He was one of many that participated in the standing ovation that followed the end of the musical. Clapping away loudly while swallowing the holler that threatened to escape this throat. Although, he did let himself give a few fist pumps in the air, and it was worth it.

And then the performers left their stage, and the audience shuffled out of their seats. Ray groaned as the line seemed to go on forever and moved slower than a traffic jam. When he finally reached the doors he realized why the lines were moving so slow. The performers had lined up at the exit, still in full costume, getting thanks by the grateful audience.

Ray swallowed, he had hoped he could have just ducked out of there, but now there was pressure on him to possibly speak to Joel. And of course, as Ray spotted him, Joel had to be at the very end of the line. The last interaction before he ducked out. Ray’s heart thundered in his chest as he slowly moved his way toward Joel, thanking a few people when he could along the way. And somehow, his feet carried him to the end, putting him face-to-face to the man that’s been haunting his mind the past week. Up close, he could see all the makeup plastered to his face, the overly bright blush and accented line crinkles to make him look older, making him look clownish yet still painfully handsome. When their eyes locked, Ray felt himself freeze. Joel’s focus was on him, even though he was just a stranger to Joel at this moment, it felt like Joel was looking deep into his soul. Like he realized who he was and was burning him from the inside out. By some miracle, his brain remembered what he was supposed to be doing, and offered the actor a hand to shake.  Joel flashed him a smile, revealing sparkling white and perfect teeth to Ray before taking his hand.

“Great job out there, Joel.” Ray said shanking the hand that felt warm in his, “It was probably the best musical I’ve ever seen.”

Joel let out a laugh, “Thanks man, I’m glad you enjoyed, have a nice night.”

A brief conversation, but one that had Ray’s head spinning as he turned away from Joel and left. His heart pounding so hard from nervousness he was almost worried he was going to see it punch through his chest. And he was so worried about himself that he never noticed the pair of eyes that were staring at the back of his head as he left.

Ray wasn’t sure how he made it back, considering he was barely mentally functioning as soon as he left the doors. His mind just kept repeating the last few hours, sometimes in order, sometimes in just fragments. But mainly his mind focused on their two seconds of conversation, the way Joel’s face moved as he spoke, as his eyes focused on Ray for a split second, how he thanked him. Sure it was just an exaggeration, but god he felt it, and it felt so good.

Jittery as he was when he returned he was able to sleep well that night.  Of course, he dreamt of Joel, what else would he have dreamt of after a night like this? It was a sweet dream, one were they just held on to each other in a park, having a picnic, enjoying their time together. Joel’s hand rubbing lazy circles on Ray’s arm as they watched children run by screaming happily.  He woke up with a smile on his face, and that smile remained for the next two days while he lazily played his weekend away on his Xbox. The constant worry he had about Joel just melted away in favor of a happy fog that eased his thoughts. He didn’t feel a need to stress about the showers, about the state of their friendship, because… well, he wasn’t sure why, but it didn’t seem so big of a deal anymore.

That is, until late into the afternoon on Sunday when he returned from a trip to the bathroom to see a pale yellow sticky note placed on his door. He peeled it off to get a better look at it.

“You need a shower. –Joel”

His heart stopped for a second. Joel was actually calling him out, probably realizing that he had been avoiding the older man for some time now. But what did he mean? Was he supposed to join him tonight, or maybe tomorrow night? When? Their usual time? Ray bit his bottom lip as the worry bubbled in his gut.

Well, tonight would be a good of night as any for a shower, Ray decided.

So when 2 am rolled around, he closed his laptop he had been sitting on for the past few hours, grabbed his stuff and headed for the bathroom. Every step felt like a struggle, telling him not to go. But dammit, he was a man, and he needed to finally address his shit instead of avoiding it.

Hey, he can still be a little scared though, right?

He opened the door and was greeted with the faint sound of running water. When he walked over to the stalls, the stall to the right was occupied. The stall that Joel usually used. Ray swallowed, he wanted to greet Joel, but the fact that he wasn’t 100% certain that it was Joel kept him silent as he opened the curtain for the middle stall and stepped inside.

Luckily for Ray, Joel spoke first, “Hey Ray, long time no talk, hunh?”

Ray sputtered as he hung his towel on the hook, clearly caught off guard by Joel’s sudden voice and confidence that it was him. “H-holy shit! Hi. Yeah. Hi. Hi Joel. How’s it going?”

Joel’s giggles quietly bounced off the tiled walls. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.” Ray quickly imagined the way his face was probably turning with the smile that was more than likely on Joel’s face.

“Shit, no, it’s okay. I’m just kind of weird right now, I shouldn’t be so jumpy.” Ray managed to say while pushing the second curtain aside to step in the small area for showering. A part of him wondered if he was actually going to shower or just stand under water for the next few minutes.

“Weird?” Joel asked as Ray turned on his shower, jumping a little when the cold water hit him.

“Yeah,” Ray said, “like… because you know… it’s been awhile.” His body was quickly warming up with the water, and he stood underneath the nozzle, staring at the white wall in front of him.

“Ahh, yeah, I guess. I’m just glad you’re here tonight.” Joel said before quickly changing the subject, “So my first weekend of performances has gone wonderfully!”

That was it. Joel either didn’t want to hear about why Ray was gone, or he just didn’t care. He just acted as they always had and Joel continued on happily talking about his performances, talking about the technicalities and how lucky they’ve been to have had no problems so far. Ray closed his eyes and just listened to Joel. He listened to every word he spoke, how he said it, and imagined his face, the way he was saying those words. How his cheeks would be accentuated with the smile, how his hand were probably flailing about as he tried to paint a picture in the air. It made him forget, just for a moment, that he shouldn’t be so relaxed, that he was still guilty of that incident, and probably shouldn’t be here, shouldn’t be allowed to be standing next to Joel.

“And I just can’t wait for next weekend to come, I can’t wait to perform, to see the faces of the audience as they watch, and see how happy we’ve made them afterwards. I love this, Ray, you honestly don’t understand how much I love the stage.”

“You’re an amazing actor Joel, there’s no denying that.” Ray said, the words easily coming out of his mouth, “Your performance was fucking incredible.”

“What?” Joel asked suddenly.

And then Ray realized his mistake, he let it slip that he had seen Joel; his mind backpedaled into a defensive state. “What?” Ray repeated.

“Don’t you ‘what’ me after I ‘what’d’ you.” Joel growled at the partition between them.

“I didn’t say anything, honest.” Ray lied with an unseen shrug.

“That’s horseshit, what did you say about my performance?” A tone of slight annoyance growing in the older man’s voice.

Nope nope nope. Ray was not going to say that he was there, he couldn’t. It really shouldn’t have been that big of a deal, but every part of his brain was telling him not to admit it. “I said it was probably great, the way you talked about it. Yeah.”

“Goddammit Ray, you piece of shit, tell me the fucking truth.” Joel was practically spitting, trying to not be legitimately mad at his shower mate. Ray would be lying if he wasn’t slightly intimidated by the sudden change in Joel’s behavior from his verbal slip.

Ray’s mind caved and the truth came out. “I… uh, said your performance was incredible.”

“There we go. That’s what I heard, now tell me, what do you mean by that?” Joel asked with all the seriousness in the world coating his words.

Ray swallowed hard, “It means… that I saw your performance on Friday.”

And with the pause that came after Ray swore he heard the cogs turning in Joel’s brain. Ray’s teeth were practically biting into his lower lip as he waited for Joel to say something.

“You… saw my performance?” Joel asked carefully.

Ray nodded, even though Joel wouldn’t see it. “Yes.”

“You… liked my performance?”

“Are you kidding me? It was fucking incredible, as I said.”

“So… you’ve seen my face.” It wasn’t even a question.

Ray felt his heart sink to the floor. Joel’s words were heavy, cautious, as if unsure what exactly to think about the situation.  The water that was beating against him was all but forgotten as his world narrowed down to Joel and his words. How everything seemed to hang on them. He was staring so hard at the partition between them that he almost thought he could see through it.

And then Joel’s fingers peeked over the top of the partition as he gripped onto it. Ray only assumed he was probably leaning his forehead against the wall. Probably trying to control some odd emotion. Ray didn’t even know how to react at this point.

“You’ve seen my face…” Joel repeated, striking a line of guilt down Ray’s body, right before a solid sounding ‘tch’ echoed in the shower stalls.

“Well, that’s not very fair, now is it?” Ray could hear the smirk on Joel’s lips.

“What?” Ray struggled to say. He wasn’t sure what the other even meant by that not being fair.

“Well, I just figured that the first time we saw each other, it would be a mutual thing.”

And the relaxing joking tone in Joel’s voice brought Ray to a more relaxed state, “To be fair, you did see me after the Musical when you were lined up.”

A half-hearted chuckle escaped Joel’s throat before silence fell between them. If Ray wasn’t under a shower, he’d be sweating nervously for sure.

“Ray, I want to see you.” Joel said in a dangerously low voice.

Ray chuckled nervously, “Well, I mean, if you want to just hang back and wait for me to finis--”

“No,” Joel interrupted, almost growling, “I want to see you _now_.”

Ray backed away from one partition only to back himself into the other partition. He let out a little squeak of surprise when his back touched the cool surface. His mind spun around Joel’s words. The way Joel said that he wanted to see him, at this very moment, made him tremble with slight arousal. 

Ray saw Joel’s fingers twitch against the top of the partition before he asked, “Can I?”

What was going to come out of it? What was going to happen? He felt his breathing growing heavier as the seconds went by and his mind spun faster and faster. This was happening, wasn’t it? Joel wanted to see Ray, see all of Ray.

Joel’s breathing evidently grew harder as well, “I know, okay? I know why you haven’t joined the showers, because you thought I heard you that night, and well, I did, but I don’t think you heard _me_ after you ran off.”

Ray’s eyes widened in shock. “You’ve--”

“Masturbated to the thought of you? Yes, fuck yes.” Joel admitted, “And it’s been incredible.”

Ray felt blood rushing both to his cheeks and down south, almost like his body was being ripped in two. The air between them was quickly charging with sexual tension.

“I mean, I don’t know how I couldn’t,” Joel continued, “You just seemed so chill and hilarious, and goddamn the way your voice sounds with all its tones and fluctuations… I bet your moans sound so pretty.”

“J-Joel I…” Ray shuddered.

Yes, he wanted this. He wanted this so bad, and it was actually happening.

Joel made a noise before saying, “Just like that. Oh god, that sounds amazing, you sound amazing. God, Ray, I really, really want to see you. Please… can I please see you?”

Ray closed his eyes, and shifted positions, placing his back against the wall that held the shower head. “Yes.  Come over.”

As soon as he finished the word yes, he heard the shower next to him stop and the curtains in that stall nearly being ripped off the hooks as Joel pushed through them. He heard Joel’s feet stop right before the first curtain of his own stall. A moment of hesitation. The hooks scraped against the bar of metal slowly as Joel opened the first curtain at a painfully slow pace. And the second curtain was pulled back even slower.

Ray scrunched his eyes even more shut as he realized that Joel was now looking at him. It was as if he could feel Joel’s eyes looking at every cell on his skin. Ray had never felt more exposed in his life, and he never felt so excited either.

“I fucking knew it. I fucking—I fucking knew that was you. Goddamn, why didn’t I fucking say anything?!”  Joel nearly hissed, cussing himself out in front of Ray.

Ray didn’t open his eyes, but he did raise an eyebrow and asked Joel what he meant.

Joel’s voice grew closer, seeming to come from right in front of Ray’s face, “You shook my hand Friday night, you were the one that I could tell was staring at me throughout the whole Musical, the one throwing your fist up in the air like a moron, which I loved don’t get me  wrong, but I knew it.”

Ray smiled, “Oh really? How’d you know it was me?”

“Your fucking voice when you spoke to me.” Joel laughed, “How the fuck else? But holy shit, I didn’t forget what you looked like, and while you looked fucking amazing those fancy clothes, you look far better naked.”

“I bet you look even better.” Ray responded.

“Open your eyes and take a look then?” Joel urged.

Ray’s eyes fluttered open, only to meet a perfectly dark pair of brown eyes that were hovering just inches from his own. He nearly got lost in those dark eyes before breaking free from their gaze to see the rest of their owner. His tongue swiped over his lips as he looked over the delicious sight in front of him. Joel had a perfectly toned body, large arms that were nearly pinning Ray to the wall, a flat stomach with a hint of abs and a cute happy trail of hair that led…

That led to a half hard cock.

As much as Ray would have liked to joke around and say “Like what you see?” he knew that he honestly wasn’t in much of a better position. He felt himself growing harder just by looking at Joel.

“And?” Joel asked, his eyes still focused on Ray’s face, watching every little movement he made.

“Goddamn, I thought you were hot before, but holy shit, naked is better.” Ray said breathlessly.

Joel laughed, showing off his perfect teeth, “Good. Now, can I kiss you?”

Ray barely finished saying yes before rough lips were on his. Ray’s eyes instantly closed, giving into the feeling alone, the kiss itself was gentle, careful, and curious. Like Joel was trying to memorize every detail of his mouth. Ray’s hands snuck themselves up Joel’s shoulders as Joel’s curved around to grab the back of Ray’s head. Joel’s other hand slid down the softness of Ray’s spine and held him near the hip, pulling him closer.

Eventually Joel pulled his head away and Ray’s eyes fluttered open to mirror Joel’s half-lidded ones. Both were breathless, chests heaving with excitement. Both men had slight blushes on their face, a mix of arousal and the heat from the shower that was spraying over Joel’s head. Water danced down Joel’s skin, over his chest and down to the dick that Ray was trying not to think about.

“Kiss me again. Please.” Ray found himself saying.

“Gladly.” Joel said before diving in, the kiss far hungrier than before, his tongue forcing itself down Ray’s throat, and Ray accepting it happily.

Ray groaned into his mouth, lacing his fingers into Joel’s dark hair as he swiped his tongue across soft lips. He tried holding back a poorly disguised whine when Joel pressed forward with his hips, since the blood already pooling in his groin was making the intensity of every movement increase tenfold, and the intimacy of the whole situation was enough to fog up his mind like a sauna.

“Jesus, I can’t tell you how much I wanted something tangible to put with your voice,” Joel groaned when they finally broke, “and how fantastic you feel, how all of you feels.” Ray slid a hand back down Joel’s chest, the skin beneath his fingertips feeling incredibly real

 

“I’m dying to know what you were thinking that day.” His fingers were at Ray’s chest, fanned out and splayed across the muscles before they trailed down to his ribcage. Ray’s skin heated up quickly at the contact, tilting his head back against the partition. “I could ask you the same thing,” he said, cursing the stammer that pervaded his voice.

Joel bit back a grin at that, fixing his gaze on Ray’s features. “Fine. I was thinking about what you’d look like… what you’d sound like when I touched you, if you let me. You have no fucking clue what your voice does to me, Ray, so I wanted to see what I could make it do.” He looked deep in thought, oddly contemplative before he looked up again, and Ray very nearly groaned aloud at the mere sight of the gleam in Joel’s eyes, ones that burned rife with desire.

His fingers flexed against Ray’s skin as their eyes met.

“Would you let me?”

Ray pulled him forward, pressing his lips fiercely to Joel’s own as his answer. He felt Joel’s lips curve against his own before he pressed Ray back against the wall and long fingers found their way around Ray’s length and pulled.

And when he did, it was like Ray wasn’t even on this earth. Joel had put it best - something tangible sought out to put with a voice he’d fallen for - so the contented sighs Ray pressed against Joel’s mouth were happily swallowed and paired in response with flicks of his wrist that were anything but routine or ordinary. With every pull, every time his fingers danced up the side of Ray’s length, Ray’s moans were entirely genuine and holy hell, if Ray thought he was awful at suppressing his more primal sounds until now, he was happy to hit a new all-time low by Joel’s hand. It dipped from base to tip over and over again, and when Ray’s nails dug into Joel’s shoulders after the pad of his thumb swiped across the head of his dick, his sighs transforming to full-blown moans of pleasure, it only seemed to serve as encouragement.

It took all he had in him to do it, but Ray managed to separate himself from the older student long enough to get his vision to clear and his words to form. “Joel, fuckme,” he panted, lips flushed and out of breath while Joel looked on, confusion giving way to fiery intrigue. He began to ask if Ray was sure, only for his words to devolve into a sharp gasp when Ray’s fingertips brushed the side of Joel’s cock in return, his feather-light touch rewarded with parted lips and eyes that nearly rolled back into his head. “I’m so sure it’s actually starting to get a little painful, Joel,” Ray murmured with a smile, “so fuck me.”

Joel chuckled, but his laughter was a little darker than the whimsical variant Ray was used to hearing.

“God, those words sound fantastic rolling off your tongue.”

His words – or maybe it was the entire situation – absolutely went straight to his dick, and judging by the way his gaze darted low and took its time on the way back up, Joel absolutely noticed. His hand found Ray’s jaw once more, pressing a kiss full of need against the sophomore’s lips and groaning outright when Ray pressed his hips forward against his own. Joel’s hands found their way down Ray’s sides, hooking on his pointed hips and rocking against them once, twice, before he purred a ‘turn around’ against Ray’s lips and a shiver surged through Ray’s entire body, pulse beating almost audibly to the tune of desire and urged on by how deliciously sensual Joel’s voice sounded when it was so close, like it was dripping in chocolate. And so he did, spun carefully by Joel’s hands and encouraged by his voice until he was facing the tile and his back was held flush against Joel’s front. He heard him slide something over from a basket on the floor outside, saw him move momentarily to lean over and take a bottle between his fingers, but settled back where he was before he pressed a kiss to the nape of Ray’s neck and finally spoke.

“Count the tiles.”

“What?”

“Count. The tiles.”

“I don’t see why –” Ray cut himself off, interrupted by a grip on his hand that pulled his fingers from between his lips and pressed them to the wall in front of him. He looked on at the larger hand covering his own, fingers outstretched to press the tips of Ray’s own to the slick ceramic before him. “I want you to start counting, out loud, how many tiles are on this wall.” Ray couldn’t help the sob that was wracked from deep in his throat when he felt Joel’s dick brush teasingly against the cleft of his ass, because it was so solid and everything about it felt so much more real than he’d ever imagined experiencing, at least like this.

“You were quiet long enough, it’s been a week, and you heard me sing… so let me hear you.” Joel’s voice was soft, but there was an edge to it – one that was tinged with something devious, nearly hoarse but thoroughly full of hunger – that Ray couldn’t have missed for anything.

Ray pulled a lip between his teeth, cheeks flushing a deep red that he wished he could blame on the water’s temperature. “Even if it’s just… numbers?”

He heard the air pass between Joel’s lips before they were at his shoulder, pressing his words to Ray’s skin with the trace of a smile.

“Yes, Ray, so start counting.”

Ray pressed his lips together, stretching his fingers out against the wall as Joel’s hand moved back behind him. He heard the pop of a cap behind him and the shift of flesh on flesh, but tried his best to focus on the uniform tiled pattern before his eyes that swam in and out of focus due to the way his head was spinning from sheer want. Oh yes, all his willpower had dissipated in the fog of arousal, and if this was Joel’s way of playing a tease, he wasn’t sure how long he’d be able to humor him.

But he did give it a shot.

He took a breath, gaze skimming across the white tile lining the walls of the partition. It was cool under his fingers despite the heat in the air, and the contrast with the warmth of Joel’s body behind him and the warm water cascading down on the two of them was incredible. Jesus.

Counting.

Easy.

His count started slow, strained ever so slightly, and he was fairly certain he felt Joel’s lips stretch wide with a grin when the numbers hit his ears. One and two were breathed easy, but his three fell to the floor like a dissonant note when he felt slick fingers pressing deep within him. Four through ten were choked out when he was stretched for all he was worth, with occasional cues from Joel that made it clear he was expected to keep going. “Eleven,” he grit out, his own digits pressing hard against the tile as he felt a solid brush at his entrance, but ‘twelve’ turned into a cry that echoed off the slippery walls as Joel’s hips finally, finally snapped forward. His thrust was paced quickly enough for Ray to fall forward, hair hanging into his eyes, and the water might as well have burned as hot as flames because the sensation that Joel sent up his spine felt like he was being consumed entirely. Ray’s hands scrambled against the wet surface, fingers arched and practically clawing at the smooth tile like he was trying desperately to hang on for his life.

He heard a soft chuckle from behind him, hands gliding down his sides to rest at his hips and pressing experimentally into the pale skin that was found there. Joel moved back only to push forward again, the movement agonizingly slow, and the groan that hit Ray’s ears was nothing short of divine.

“Keep going, Ray,” he breathed, his voice teasing and saturated in desire; a tone that nearly brought Ray to delirium on its own, and paired with how he made Ray feel, how full he was and how the stretch let him feel every inch of it, it was almost too much to bear. Certainly more than he’d ever expected when he’d let his own fingers do the work.

So he tried hard to focus on the shimmering trails running down his fingers, to will his mind to keep counting, but the electricity shooting through his nerves with every well-placed thrust made his grasp of spoken language flicker like a wire was coming loose, and oh my god, it felt like he was being administered the perfect designer drug because with each push forward, each press deeper, he wanted more.  The sighs and moans that Ray couldn’t hold onto quickly pervaded the gaps between numbers, and it was perhaps needless to say that he didn’t get past a count of twenty.

Not that Joel had expected him to.

Ray’s cries heightened when Joel escalated his surges forward to a relentless pace, holding his wrists against the wall and murmuring words low and dark against his eardrums, and something about the way Joel’s voice reverberated off his skin and hung in the air just made it that much sexier. It was better than hearing it bounce off the walls of the shower, or even hearing it projected when he sang, because Ray could feel it everywhere and it sent him toward the edge faster than he’d ever remembered anything taking him before. He pleaded with Joel to touch him, to make him feel the way he’d only fantasized about, and to do it soon so he could cry out to the heavens in his honor. And sure enough, it only took a few strokes in time with Joel’s drives forward alongside a growl against his shoulder before Joel’s name was falling from Ray’s lips over and over again, not bothering to hold back the moans that wracked his entire body and sent euphoria straight through his veins. Joel followed soon after, riding out the waves with a string of curses as he came, along with a gasped rendition of Ray’s name that Ray never wanted to forget.

Joel slipped out of Ray, and turned the other man around before slumping forward, putting most of his weight on Ray’s chest. Both men were still gasping for breath as they came down from their highs. Joel held Ray tenderly, arms cradled around Ray’s lower back, and Ray mirrored the motion. Joel started snickering into Ray’s shoulder, and Ray started chuckling as well.

“I honestly can’t believe that actually happened.” Ray said between giggles. Even though his limbs were tired and was probably going to feel it for the next few days, he didn’t care. One of his stupid dreams came true and he couldn’t be happier.

“Neither can I. I mean, literally my thought just now was ‘wow, I just fucked Ray’ and it was a great feeling.” Ray laughed even harder when Joel pulled back slightly.

The chuckles died down between them, but they were still holding on to one another carefully. Joel rested his forehead against Ray’s and it felt like the small confines of the stall broke down behind them, opening to a much larger world they had been lost in. Ray felt calm in Joel’s arms; he never wanted to let go and from the way Joel’s fingers held on to him, he felt the same.

Staring into Joel’s dark eyes, a question formed on Ray’s lips,

“Can we make this a thing?”

“A thing?”

“Yeah, can we make this a regular thing?”

Joel’s smile widened as he pressed a soft kiss to Ray’s wet forehead. “Does dating you come included with the ‘thing’?”

“For a senior you’re dumb, that’s what I meant by the thing.” Ray laughed as he snuck a kiss on his chin.

And the teasing continued between the two of them along with many adorable pecks in between.  Eventually the broke into full on laughter once again.

“We really should get out of here, I’m starting to prune.” Joel said reaching over to turn off the water.  Instantly it felt like the temperature dropped, and Ray clung to Joel for warmth. 

“Goddamn, I didn’t think you’d be so clingy.” Joel chuckled, rubbing the back of Ray’s head.

“Can’t help it.” Ray murmured into Joel’s skin. “It’s like now that I’ve seen you, I don’t want to _not_ be able to see you.”

Joel tried walking Ray out of the shower, it was difficult, seeing as the younger man didn’t want to move, but he did it. He peeled Ray off to shove Ray’s towel into his hands and told him to dry off while Joel went and did the same. After drying, Ray wrapped the towel around his waist and waited for Joel near the bathroom door. Joel joined him moments later and they both walked to Ray’s door, stopping just outside it.

“Soooo…” Joel started, scratching the back of his own head. “I think we should make this a thing. I think _we_ should be a thing.”

“A thing?”

“A thing.”

“I’d love to be a thing.”

“Good.”

“Breakfast in the morning?”

“Absolutely.”

And then Joel leaned forward and gave Ray one last long kiss for the night before whispering “sweet dreams” to him and letting his now-boyfriend go for the night.

That shower had been one the best showers Ray had ever had.

Oh, and the next time Ray had gone to one of Joel’s performances, he made sure to bring flowers.


End file.
